December 4th--First, I have to recap the night of the 3rd, which entailed Mike and I going in search of great, cheap pizza. We did this successfully, except that it started pouring in the middle of our search, which put a damper on things.
However, the pizza was unbelievable, and absurdly cheap, and we stuffed ourselves before heading to bed.
Some big building/square in Naples
Tuesday morning dawned bright with the promise of Pompeii. But not without breakfast with the aid of 5-liter Nutella jars.
With the hostel receptionist.
After some confusion, we found the bus stop and got to the city a little before 11. We stayed there until 3:25, and I can definitely say it was one of the highlights of the trip so far. It's an incredibly enthralling, all-encompassing experience, and the plaster molds of the bodies are chilling.
The size and scope of the city is really incredible, and not something I can communicate or describe well. It does an amazing job of showing what life was like in the city, from the cart grooves in the cobblestones to the illustrated brothel.
Luckily, Mike and I kept it light, trying to evade the enormous groups of Asian tourists at every turn. Overall, though, it wasn't too crowded.
A lot of stray dogs happily call Pompeii home these days...
Ever the ham...
From Pompeii, we took the train back to Naples and then to Rome, arriving at 6:30. I pulled my guitar out on the way and a guy in another cabin heard and came over. He was an older Italian guy, and spoke no English, but he wanted to listen, so I played a few songs. Then he said that he played guitar twenty years before, so I let him have it, and it was clear that he used to be really good, even though he was very shy about it.
The other thing that happened on the train was that random people kept barging into the cabin to try and sell things, like newspapers, socks, and the like. We said no, and so they opened up the bag to show us other options. We kept saying no, miming it, whatever, till they finally quit.This is maybe my least favorite thing ever. The guilt trip sales pitch makes me extrememly uncomfortable, and it makes me absolutely detest the guys the way they pester you. And who buys socks on a train? I've seen it all over, from the restaurants to the souvenir shops, this badgering people for customers, and it's easily my least favorite thing about Italy.
After arriving in Rome, Mike and I had to find somewhere to stay. I had made reservations at a hostel, but they didn't have any more beds for Mike, so we went to another place where they didn't have beds either, but could get us a special rate at a hotel. So we ended up getting a private room with two beds in a hotel for only 20 Euro apiece, which wasn't too bad.
We went out for another pizza dinner. This one was also great, but way more expensive, increased by the fact that they added several random charges they never told us about, adding about 10 Euro to the meal. I guess that's Rome for you.
We finished with some excellent gelatto and a tour of some of the sights at night, including laying down under the Colliseum for 10 minutes, just kind of staring at how big it is. Then we passed by the Trevi Fountain, where guys were trying to push roses on couples coming to enjoy the sight. If you're not familiar with the technique, they offer a rose or two to a woman or her attached man, and then offer it for free when they refuse. After a minute of the victims holding the rose awkwardly, they demand some money, leaving the uncomfortable couple to either turn them down or guiltily give a few Euro. Gah. I hate it.
A short walk back and we headed to bed, ready to see Rome in the daylight for the first time.
1 comment:
Creighton, Make a wish by throwing a coin in the fountain of Trevi and it will come true - Omi did - she wished she would return to Rome on a short trip through and later returned to live there for three years. That gelato looks delicious!
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